An Open Letter from a stay at home mom;
First, I would like to state that I have no affiliation with any political party. I like to believe that this province can do better, and when election time rolls around, I base my vote on the person I feel best suited for the job, regardless of which party they stand with. Perhaps that could be construed as a lazy vote. I just want to desperately believe that people still care about the people and welfare of our beautiful Nova Scotia and I vote accordingly.
I have spent most of my live in Nova Scotia. I went to school here, got married here, and am raising a young family here. It was just this past year that I had lost another family member (my sister and her boyfriend) to the west. It was just after Christmas, I watched them pack their car and begin their journey across country to bigger and better opportunities. This is a common story that Im certain every Nova Scotian can relate to. They didn't really want to leave. No one really does. That's apparent when you see them return and that salt air first hits their face when they get off the plane. People are simply running out of options. I often think that if it weren't so difficult to uproot a family, would I join them? I would hate to leave here, I love this province and hope that it never has to come to that.
Now, I have never have professed to have a full working knowledge of politics. In fact, it wasn't until I went off work for maternity leave (which just so happened to be election time) that an interest was sparked to me for how our province was being run. I will fully admit to being a laymen to most of the ins and outs of difficulties running an entire province. I DO however recognize what works and what doesn't.. and clearly what we have now isn't working.
I began following the different parties on Twitter, and noticed that the PC party had presented a survey based on the ideas for repairing our struggling economy. This is really what has prompted me to write this. I desperately wanted to attend one of the meetings they had offered in order to have my voice heard. Unfortunately, I was unable to as I have two young children to mind and my husband was busy working that day. I have been thinking and thinking about it and I really cant let it go, so I hope that one of our leaders can take a moment to hear my thoughts.
I believe there are a myriad of reasons as to why we continue to fail at reviving our economy. I think its naïve to think that the issue is simply not enough jobs. Its much bigger then that.. Here we go:
IMMIGRATION
I have had the pleasure of working with many newly immigrated citizens. Knowing that they chose to come here to start a life should reflect well on the people here. There is an obvious resentment though. I don't think it takes rocket science to figure it out either. We have so many families already torn apart, fathers going out west to work weeks on weeks of in order to provide, families uprooting their children from grandparents, aunts uncles, siblings much like mine, who have no options here anymore. There seems to be a lack of wanting to bring them back, instead opting to bring people here with no real ties, to be educated and given jobs. Trust that when they realize that the west has it better, they will be gone just as fast.
OUR PROVINCE
We live in an incredibly beautiful place. Rich with a vast history, each corner of Nova Scotia has something unique to offer. I think these are some key places that need some focus;
Halifax - Lets start with the obvious. Its a port city (duh). We have cruise ships visiting all the time, bringing in tourists to mingle with a fairly large population. Have you really looked "downtown" lately? The high taxes has prevented any significant growth. In fact, if I didn't know that it was considered our downtown, I would never guess it. For Lease signs litter our historic buildings, many amazing businesses have had to shut their doors simply because they cannot afford to keep them open. This is a real shame, as Halifax is a pretty great city with has quite a bit to showcase to the rest of Canada, and the world.
Amherst - What a lovely town. Its almost nostalgic when you go there.. to a time when people really looked out for one another. Its kept pretty nicely manicured, which is visually pleasing. Lets face it though, even people who LIVE in Amherst aren't spending much money there. Im sure its not due to lack of want. There really isn't much in Amherst to spend money on that a quick drive over the marsh to New Brunswick cant provide with more options and probably slightly cheaper. You would think since its the "hub" of Nova Scotia, we would want people to enter wanting to see more of us, not see nothing and turn around.
Cape Breton - If you go out west and throw a rock into the air, you have a good chance it will fall on a Cape Breton native. I have worked in places that I was the only one from Halifax and the rest were "Capers". These friendly folk are some very hard workers.. hard workers we are losing in droves to Alberta. The tip of our province, a tourist favorite with its incredible landscapes is in desperate need. No one from Cape Breton wants to leave there. They have next to no real opportunities which is awful.
Yarmouth - So.. did you know that they have a ferry that brings people back and forth to Maine? Also the location of the largest lobster fishing grounds? I mean really.. We need to keep up on Yarmouth to ensure that those tourists who step foot off that ferry don't want to immediately get back on the boat when they see our sickening taxes.
HAND OUTS
Remember Blackberry? When our politicians decided that it would be a worthy investment to offer 2 million a year for 5 years? Too bad they closed. How about near 20 million to a boat. I assure you that wasn't a typo... I said it a BOAT! We are questioning our economy while throwing millions at an inanimate object. You know what we COULD HAVE done with say..20 million dollars? Here's a thought I had over morning coffee;
You ever see that Dragon Den show? You know, where investors hear ideas from small business folk and offer an opportunity for an investment? How about a Nova Scotia version? Section off the province and approach maybe like this.. come up with a business to better your community/province and the province invests with a pre determined return rate until the amount given is paid back.
I admit I haven't ironed the kinks out so to speak, but it is out of our current comfort zone, which quite frankly needs to happen.
NOVA SCOTIA POWER
Where does one even start? We shouldn't be bowing down to a company, especially one that has the monopoly on our power. That shouldn't exist. If Nova Scotia is content with having only one company who will turn your lights on, there needs to be a reform on the standards they need to live up to. I like to think that the elected officials (who last I thought were elected to be a voice for the citizens they govern) feel equally as strong as I do that power has become a kind of essential thing. Alas, we have people robbing Peter to pay Paul, trying to orchestrate how they are going to take their remaining $20 to get groceries, gas etc. after paying a bill just to keep them out of the dark. Hey, remember that 20 million dollars I talked about earlier? The 20 million we apparently have to throw away? If the government seriously cared, couldn't they have taken that same money and perhaps started an assistance? For example, it could start in areas that often struggle with power being knocked out, and aren't considered "priority" (unless of course their bill is due) and offer with assistance the opportunity to go solar. The initial cost for many is high after everything else is paid and I believe Nova Scotia power is aware of that.
OUR PEOPLE
We have a drain on our healthcare. Why is that? Well, we have an aging population getting ready to or currently are leaving the workforce. Our young workers are fleeing the province leaving an unbalance. The rest of us who stay are stressed out causing a rise in sick calls which costs more money. Want to fix that? Lets start by saying that Nova Scotians are hard working good people. Perhaps because of their goodness, it has become easy to be complacent to living in a place that scraping by in life is the "norm". There is little faith in our leaders, and in our province. People will find any excuse to grab any sort of assistance from government. is it because they are lazy? Not at all. People just give up. We have to work long hours for not a great wage in order to pay for things at a ridiculous tax price, bills, and ever increasing grocery prices. We see often people working multiple jobs at a minimum wage just to provide a basic life for their families, no vacations, no extras. We watch as the ones who left seem happier having done so. They can take their family on a weekend trip somewhere without worrying that the money they spend will leave them short for a water bill. They have a better self esteem as they don't have to worry constantly that if they want to do something or buy something fun, it doesn't take away from the few dollars they have allotted for food or gas money for the week. People will not spend money when they don't have much. This needs special attention because as a whole, our Nova Scotia has a unique culture of amazing people that we are neglecting. Its a dangerous thing for people to become complacent. No good comes from people who don't care.
This has been just a basic outline of problems as I view them for our province. If government is ACTUALLY serious in changing the direction of this province to one not to abandon but one to invest in, perhaps they will realize that our defunct economy is a result of more then just a lack of jobs. How many times are we expected to make the same mistakes over and over again before we decide it doesn't work? Surely there has to come a point where we learn that we keep making a left turn that leads nowhere and need to back up and turn right.
I thank you if you had made it this far into my rambling note. I hope that one day we are able to recognize what lacks in Nova Scotia and make an attempt to change. I will continue to grasp to the idea that we are better then what we have become.
Sincerely, Chelsea.
First, I would like to state that I have no affiliation with any political party. I like to believe that this province can do better, and when election time rolls around, I base my vote on the person I feel best suited for the job, regardless of which party they stand with. Perhaps that could be construed as a lazy vote. I just want to desperately believe that people still care about the people and welfare of our beautiful Nova Scotia and I vote accordingly.
I have spent most of my live in Nova Scotia. I went to school here, got married here, and am raising a young family here. It was just this past year that I had lost another family member (my sister and her boyfriend) to the west. It was just after Christmas, I watched them pack their car and begin their journey across country to bigger and better opportunities. This is a common story that Im certain every Nova Scotian can relate to. They didn't really want to leave. No one really does. That's apparent when you see them return and that salt air first hits their face when they get off the plane. People are simply running out of options. I often think that if it weren't so difficult to uproot a family, would I join them? I would hate to leave here, I love this province and hope that it never has to come to that.
Now, I have never have professed to have a full working knowledge of politics. In fact, it wasn't until I went off work for maternity leave (which just so happened to be election time) that an interest was sparked to me for how our province was being run. I will fully admit to being a laymen to most of the ins and outs of difficulties running an entire province. I DO however recognize what works and what doesn't.. and clearly what we have now isn't working.
I began following the different parties on Twitter, and noticed that the PC party had presented a survey based on the ideas for repairing our struggling economy. This is really what has prompted me to write this. I desperately wanted to attend one of the meetings they had offered in order to have my voice heard. Unfortunately, I was unable to as I have two young children to mind and my husband was busy working that day. I have been thinking and thinking about it and I really cant let it go, so I hope that one of our leaders can take a moment to hear my thoughts.
I believe there are a myriad of reasons as to why we continue to fail at reviving our economy. I think its naïve to think that the issue is simply not enough jobs. Its much bigger then that.. Here we go:
IMMIGRATION
I have had the pleasure of working with many newly immigrated citizens. Knowing that they chose to come here to start a life should reflect well on the people here. There is an obvious resentment though. I don't think it takes rocket science to figure it out either. We have so many families already torn apart, fathers going out west to work weeks on weeks of in order to provide, families uprooting their children from grandparents, aunts uncles, siblings much like mine, who have no options here anymore. There seems to be a lack of wanting to bring them back, instead opting to bring people here with no real ties, to be educated and given jobs. Trust that when they realize that the west has it better, they will be gone just as fast.
OUR PROVINCE
We live in an incredibly beautiful place. Rich with a vast history, each corner of Nova Scotia has something unique to offer. I think these are some key places that need some focus;
Halifax - Lets start with the obvious. Its a port city (duh). We have cruise ships visiting all the time, bringing in tourists to mingle with a fairly large population. Have you really looked "downtown" lately? The high taxes has prevented any significant growth. In fact, if I didn't know that it was considered our downtown, I would never guess it. For Lease signs litter our historic buildings, many amazing businesses have had to shut their doors simply because they cannot afford to keep them open. This is a real shame, as Halifax is a pretty great city with has quite a bit to showcase to the rest of Canada, and the world.
Amherst - What a lovely town. Its almost nostalgic when you go there.. to a time when people really looked out for one another. Its kept pretty nicely manicured, which is visually pleasing. Lets face it though, even people who LIVE in Amherst aren't spending much money there. Im sure its not due to lack of want. There really isn't much in Amherst to spend money on that a quick drive over the marsh to New Brunswick cant provide with more options and probably slightly cheaper. You would think since its the "hub" of Nova Scotia, we would want people to enter wanting to see more of us, not see nothing and turn around.
Cape Breton - If you go out west and throw a rock into the air, you have a good chance it will fall on a Cape Breton native. I have worked in places that I was the only one from Halifax and the rest were "Capers". These friendly folk are some very hard workers.. hard workers we are losing in droves to Alberta. The tip of our province, a tourist favorite with its incredible landscapes is in desperate need. No one from Cape Breton wants to leave there. They have next to no real opportunities which is awful.
Yarmouth - So.. did you know that they have a ferry that brings people back and forth to Maine? Also the location of the largest lobster fishing grounds? I mean really.. We need to keep up on Yarmouth to ensure that those tourists who step foot off that ferry don't want to immediately get back on the boat when they see our sickening taxes.
HAND OUTS
Remember Blackberry? When our politicians decided that it would be a worthy investment to offer 2 million a year for 5 years? Too bad they closed. How about near 20 million to a boat. I assure you that wasn't a typo... I said it a BOAT! We are questioning our economy while throwing millions at an inanimate object. You know what we COULD HAVE done with say..20 million dollars? Here's a thought I had over morning coffee;
You ever see that Dragon Den show? You know, where investors hear ideas from small business folk and offer an opportunity for an investment? How about a Nova Scotia version? Section off the province and approach maybe like this.. come up with a business to better your community/province and the province invests with a pre determined return rate until the amount given is paid back.
I admit I haven't ironed the kinks out so to speak, but it is out of our current comfort zone, which quite frankly needs to happen.
NOVA SCOTIA POWER
Where does one even start? We shouldn't be bowing down to a company, especially one that has the monopoly on our power. That shouldn't exist. If Nova Scotia is content with having only one company who will turn your lights on, there needs to be a reform on the standards they need to live up to. I like to think that the elected officials (who last I thought were elected to be a voice for the citizens they govern) feel equally as strong as I do that power has become a kind of essential thing. Alas, we have people robbing Peter to pay Paul, trying to orchestrate how they are going to take their remaining $20 to get groceries, gas etc. after paying a bill just to keep them out of the dark. Hey, remember that 20 million dollars I talked about earlier? The 20 million we apparently have to throw away? If the government seriously cared, couldn't they have taken that same money and perhaps started an assistance? For example, it could start in areas that often struggle with power being knocked out, and aren't considered "priority" (unless of course their bill is due) and offer with assistance the opportunity to go solar. The initial cost for many is high after everything else is paid and I believe Nova Scotia power is aware of that.
OUR PEOPLE
We have a drain on our healthcare. Why is that? Well, we have an aging population getting ready to or currently are leaving the workforce. Our young workers are fleeing the province leaving an unbalance. The rest of us who stay are stressed out causing a rise in sick calls which costs more money. Want to fix that? Lets start by saying that Nova Scotians are hard working good people. Perhaps because of their goodness, it has become easy to be complacent to living in a place that scraping by in life is the "norm". There is little faith in our leaders, and in our province. People will find any excuse to grab any sort of assistance from government. is it because they are lazy? Not at all. People just give up. We have to work long hours for not a great wage in order to pay for things at a ridiculous tax price, bills, and ever increasing grocery prices. We see often people working multiple jobs at a minimum wage just to provide a basic life for their families, no vacations, no extras. We watch as the ones who left seem happier having done so. They can take their family on a weekend trip somewhere without worrying that the money they spend will leave them short for a water bill. They have a better self esteem as they don't have to worry constantly that if they want to do something or buy something fun, it doesn't take away from the few dollars they have allotted for food or gas money for the week. People will not spend money when they don't have much. This needs special attention because as a whole, our Nova Scotia has a unique culture of amazing people that we are neglecting. Its a dangerous thing for people to become complacent. No good comes from people who don't care.
This has been just a basic outline of problems as I view them for our province. If government is ACTUALLY serious in changing the direction of this province to one not to abandon but one to invest in, perhaps they will realize that our defunct economy is a result of more then just a lack of jobs. How many times are we expected to make the same mistakes over and over again before we decide it doesn't work? Surely there has to come a point where we learn that we keep making a left turn that leads nowhere and need to back up and turn right.
I thank you if you had made it this far into my rambling note. I hope that one day we are able to recognize what lacks in Nova Scotia and make an attempt to change. I will continue to grasp to the idea that we are better then what we have become.
Sincerely, Chelsea.